90.7 WMFE's Intersection

John Dearie of the Center for American Entrepreneurship says rates of entrepreneurship – the creation of  new businesses- are in decline across the country. Dearie wants to turn that around. So what does a new business needs to succeed, besides a great idea?

On this episode of Intersection we discuss the state of entrepreneurship with John Dearie, Jerry Ross of the National Entrepreneur Center and John F. Davis of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

How do you teach a university course at a maximum security prison? Dr. Pamela Cappas-Toro says the students she teaches at Tomoka Correctional Institution are committed to learning, but it takes creativity bringing a college course to a prison without the educational resources of a college campus.

Cappas-Toro helped establish The Stetson University Community Education Project, and she says the project is expanding the classes on offer for incarcerated men, with the help of a grant.

And July 4th means its time to fire up the grill. It’s no holiday for Thomas Ward though- he barbeques for a living.  We revisit a conversation with Ward. First the news

Immigration is dominating the national conversation.  The Trump administration has walked back a policy that’s seen children and parents separated at the Southern US border, and reporters and lawmakers have gotten a glimpse inside detention centers housing immigrant youth, including a center in South Florida.

As the Florida Republican Party prepares to kick off its summer conference, the Sunshine Summit, in Orlando this week, how will the immigration debate shape that summit? And what impact will it have on elections in Florida this November?

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with the chair of the Florida GOP, Blaise Ingoglia, on the eve of the Sunshine Summit.

Summer holidays don’t have to mean fast food. We talk to a couple chefs about healthy cooking and classes that can put you on the path to eating right. Chef Gary Appelsies is on a tour of Central Florida YMCAs to promote healthy cooking, and chef Dawn Viola is about to open a teaching kitchen, This Honest Food, in Clermont.

One section of Orlando’s historic Greenwood Cemetery started to get a lot more attention since a new arrival last year. Johnny Reb, the confederate statue that was removed from its old location on the shores of Lake Eola, has brought curious visitors to the cemetery’s Confederate section. We chat to Sexton Don Price about what that means for Greenwood. 

President Trump says space dominance is vital to national security. He wants the department of defence to establish a new branch of the military- a space force.

On this episode of  Intersection we ask the question: what would a space force look like and what would its mission be? With more countries eyeing space for resources and strategic interests, is the call for a space force coming at the right time? Or is it militarizing space misguided?

We’re joined by 90.7’s space reporter Brendan Byrne, UCF political scientist Roger Handberg, who focuses on space and military policy, and Laura Forcyk founder of the space analysis and consulting firm Astralytical.

Following an outcry over the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy that’s separated hundreds of children from their parents at the Southern US border, President Trump signed an executive order that he says ends family separation.

So what does it mean for undocumented immigrants including children in detention? For more analysis we’re joined by Orlando based immigration attorney John Gihon..

And we revisit a performance and conversation with Deland based musician Matt Burke. He talks about his soul and funk influences and bringing Chicago Blues to the Sunshine State.

On a recent day in June, parking hit capacity at all three garages at Orlando International Airport, including the garage at the airport’s brand new South terminal.

The new terminal, where airlines will begin service in 2021, is designed to include rail access. But just how soon will trains roll into the airport?

On this episode of Intersection, we tour of the new terminal with the airport’s head of communications Carolyn Fennell, and take a closer look at the airport’s future as a multi-modal transport hub for Central Florida, in a conversation with Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown. 

A summer camp run by the Hope CommUnity Center aims to help ease the burden on low income and immigrant families in Apopka. Alex Saunders and Yoseline Rodriguez join Intersection to explain what the Kids Camp offers to kids and their parents.

And as more cities across the US face the trauma of mass shootings, newsrooms, reporters and editors are grappling with the unique challenge of covering these events and their aftermath. We talk to Silvia Foster-Frau of the San Antonio Express-News and Naseem Miller of the Orlando Sentinel about the Journalists Covering Trauma Facebook group they set up to offer practical and emotional support to fellow reporters. 

It’s a crowded field of candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Amid the clamor- whose voice stands out? Meanwhile- there are calls for agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam- running on the GOP ticket for Governor- to resign. What’s behind those calls?

Political analysts Carol Cox and Molly Nardella join us for an update on the race for the Governor’s mansion. 

The White House is mulling turning over the management of the International Space Station to private hands in a few years. What would that mean for scientific research? Could the space station become a destination for space tourists? Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport reflects on the future of the orbiting outpost. 

And we re-air a performance from Orlando’s Handmade, Amigo. Lead singer Kevin James Bond’s submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest was one of the top five local favorites, as voted by WMFE listeners. 

It’s been two years since a gunman opened fire in the Pulse nightclub leaving 49 dead and more than 50 injured.

On this episode of Intersection, we’re focusing on the Orlando community two years on. We hear from outgoing LGBT+ Center communications director Terry De Carlo, and we talk to Rev. Bryan Fulwider and Imam Muhammad Musri about the impact of the tragedy on the faith community.

Eric Alberts with Orlando Health joins us to explain how Pulse changed the equation for emergency preparedness in the wake of mass casualty events. 

And the outpouring of grief and support brought wave upon wave of memorial items.  Cataloging, storing and displaying those thousands of items presents a unique curatorial challenge. We hear about the Orlando Regional History Center’s plans for memorial items with chief curator Pam Schwartz. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something first responders have been grappling with for decades, but the Pulse nightclub shooting cast a spotlight on the issue.

On this episode of Intersection we hear from first responders, and explore how awareness of the impact of PTSD in first responders is changing the law, and the way PTSD is treated.

And we look at how the Pulse shooting is changing the way police departments, sheriff’s offices, fire departments and others on the front lines of emergency response talk about the mental health impacts of the work they do.

Part one of the program features  90.7’s Abe Aboraya, who is working on a year-long project with ProPublica examining the impact of PTSD on first responders; Jeff Orrange who runs a peer support program with the Orlando Fire Department; US Rep. Val Demings who represents Florida’s 10th congressional district and who worked to get legislation passed to address mental health issues facing first responders; and Daniel Oates, Miami Beach Police Chief  and former chief of police in Aurora Colorado.

Part two of the program features voices recorded at WMFE and ProPublica’s live event at the Orange County Public Library PTSD in first responders- an audiovisual experience and conversation hosted by 90.7’s Abe Aboraya.

The panelists were former Eatonville police officer Omar Delgado, who responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting; Orlando Police officer Allison Clarke, one of the first responders to Pulse; Jessica Realin, whose husband Gerry was on the OPD hazmat team that went into nightclub after the shooting; and former NYPD sergeant Nancy Rosado who’s a 911 first responder.

And for part three, we’re joined by Deb Beidel, Professor of Psychology and Medical Education at the University of Central Florida and Director of UCF RESTORES, a program which helps people with PTSD.

This month the Orange and Osceola County state attorney’s office began recommending non-monetary release for non-violent offenses.

State Attorney Aramis Ayala says the overhaul will end the so-called ‘poverty penalty’ that discriminates against those who don’t have the resources to pay. The move follows similar policy changes in other jurisdictions across the country.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with State Attorney Aramis Ayala about the push for bail reform.

74 years ago John F, Kennedy took his first solo flight on a seaplane out of Miami. Historians had heard rumors of JFK’s wartime flying lessons, but it took some detective work to confirm the story. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University archivist Kevin Montgomery explains how the mystery was solved.

And Orlando trial attorney John Morgan is calling on Florida Governor Rick Scott to drop his appeal of a court ruling that clears the way for smokable medical marijuana. Morgan tells Intersection he’s prepared to take more legal action on medical marijuana.

Craft beer is booming. Local breweries are springing up in Central Florida- and across the country… and big brewers are paying attention. On this episode of Intersection we take a look at what’s brewing in the beer industry with changing tastes, niche markets and big beer. Joining the panel are Doug Meyer, the owner of Tactical Brewing, Brian Quain host of the “What Ales Ya” Podcast, Daniel Diaz, head brewer with RockPit Brewing  and Phil Palmisano, Florida Market Manager, Cigar City & Oskar Blues. 

The primary campaign season is underway in Florida and already millions of dollars are being spent in the race to be the next governor. It’s pretty clear where some of the money is coming from, as highlighted by a recent controversy that embroiled the Publix grocery chain.  But other campaign funding is a bit more murky. Gary Fineout of the associated press joins us to cut through the fog of campaign finance in the sunshine state.

And we continue our showcase of local bands from the NPR tiny desk contest, featuring CeCe Teneal  & Soul Kamotion, one of the top local favorites as voted by our listeners. Soul Kamotion has been playing the Orlando scene for years, and they’re bringing a fresh take to Blues and Soul music with something they call ‘neo blues.’ CeCe Teneal and Chris Baptiste join Intersection to talk about their Tiny Desk video and their new live album #5or5000. 

Summer’s around the corner, and for Floridians that means hitting the beach, the pool or swimming in one of the state’s many lakes and rivers. As well as rip tides and strong currents swimmers need to be aware of other hazards: bacteria, parasites and amoebas that could make you sick are lurking in the water.

On this episode of Intersection, we discuss some of the more common waterborne pathogens, and how to protect yourself against them, with 90.7’s health reporter Danielle Prieur and Florida Department of Health epidemiologist Alvina Chu. 

When UCF engineering student Albert Manero heard a story on the radio about a 3D printed prosthetic hand, a lightbulb went off. More than five years later, Manero’s non-profit, Limbitless Solutions is embarking on a clinical trial to test the next generation of  3D printed arms. Manero joins Intersection along with Dr. Albert Chi of Oregon Health and Science University, to talk about the goals for the clinical trial, and the technology they want to incorporate into 3D printed limbs in the future. 

The last Apollo mission left the surface of the moon more than 40 years ago. Now there’s renewed interest in exploring and mining the moon, and space archaeologists and historians want to preserve those Apollo landing sites. Non profit For All Moonkind says the first step is to map those sites. For All Moonkind’s co-founder, space lawyer Michelle Hanlon explains the plan to use blockchain technology to map historic sites on the moon.